Pioneering Black Educators and Librarians

The history of black education in America is fraught with institutionalized racism. Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 upheld the idea that schools could legally be segregated if they were “separate but equal”, something we know they never were. This ruling was not overturned until 1954 with Brown v. Board of Education but even then it was still an uphill battle to integrate schools. While no longer the rule of law there continues to be inequality in our public school systems. Black History Month is a great time to celebrate pioneering black educators.

I always liked that Women’s History Month follows Black History Month because it gives us an opportunity to honor the work of African-American women twofold. As librarians, we see ourselves as educators and we love Dr. Carla Hayden (no really, I went to an academic library conference and there was a huge line to get selfies with her, she’s like a librarian rock star). Dr. Hayden is the first African-American and first female Librarian of Congress. She is also the first professional librarian to hold the post in over 60 years. Since TC is a graduate school, I know you’ll all appreciate that most librarians hold master’s degrees and we are happy to see one of our own in office!